Just Listen

Biffy Clyro's new (and fifth) studio album, Only Revolutions, came out yesterday. If the title sounds familiar to you, then yes, you got it right – it is inspired by Mark Z. Danielewski's novel with the same name. Regarding this, bassist James Johnstone said "A lot of it is about trying to take arguments from somebody else point of view and be able to see two sides of the picture".

Now, I'm not so good at hidden meanings, but I know a nice song when I hear it – and that was the case with The Captain, That Golden Rule and Mountains, the first three singles on this album, let's call them "the prelude", if you'd like. However, they're not enough for you to make a clear idea about this album as a whole. Actually, not even a first listening is enough. After you listen to it, you remain with just one idea: "God, it was crazy!" You just start to listen to it again, to try and decompose the sound into the most elementary parts, to try and listen to the lyrics as carefully as you can. Before you realise it, it's all over again. And you're addicted at least to one of these twelve tracks.

Instrumentally, the album experiments a lot. You'll have the chance to pass from melodic, acoustic tunes to things more sophisticated and elaborated (at a certain point, you'll hear even a synth out there). This is mostly responsible for the chaotic feelings you have after you hear it for the first time. From this point of view, Johnstone's remark suits just fine. Two sides of the picture. Or, as they say on God and Satan: "I talk to God as much as I talk to Satan, because I want to hear both sides". And that's exactly what the guys do on each and every song.

Now stop reading this review and go and hear it for yourself.

*photo courtesy of Biffy Clyro official site